


King of my Heart

by BunnyJess



Series: Reputation [9]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics), Green Arrow (Comics), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst to Fluff, Arranged Marriage, Domestic Violence, F/M, Force Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Jason Todd is a Mechanic, Jason Todd is an Artist, Jason had a good Grandfather, Kyle Rayner is an Artist, Mechanics, Mentions of homophobia, Rose Wilson needs help, Rottweiler - Freeform, Roy Harper is a Mechanic, Slade Wilson is a Bad Parent, Tim Drake is a Mechanic, Womens Refuges, no capes AU, parental violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 03:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14803283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyJess/pseuds/BunnyJess
Summary: The Wilson and Wayne families are the two most powerful families in Gotham. Behind closed doors the men of the families are dangerous. Rose Wilson knows she's to be forced to marry, she just never expected for it to be to Dick Grayson, Wayne's eldest son a man she's helped many women escape from in the past. Luckily her Ducati has other ideas, can a broken bike save her life though?





	King of my Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my favourites form the Reputation series I'm writing. I hope you guys enjoy.

There were a few things during her life that Rose Wilson had been certain of. At 5 she was certain that her fathers’ abuse would get her mum killed, by 8 it was that he’d kill her too. When she was 10 she became certain that her dad was one of Gotham’s most corrupt politicians. By 15 she knew he saw her as little more than a way to make money once he could marry her off. Aged 5 she knew not to trust the other wealthy families as they did little to help her mum. By 8 she knew the worst of them was the Wayne family as Bruce and his ward Richard were as corrupt as her father and could be twice as nasty to women, she’d helped enough of them escape their clutches to know. You see, Rose Wilson did for the abuse victims of Gotham what no one was doing for her, had done for her mum, she helped them get out. Slade refused to give her any allowance, even if she worked around the house like a slave, so by 14 she’d gone out and found a job. When she’d finally been old enough to legally work she was already well established as a decent fighter, the underground fighting rings making her decent money from 14. Everyone underestimates a 5’4’’ half Colombian with white hair and a lithe frame; it worked to her advantage. By 18 she was a bouncer in Gotham’s nightclub scene, the long and irregular hours helping to provide a cover for the number of people she helped leave their high society, protected, partners. She was well known through the refuges of Gotham, but still couldn’t go herself. She felt too trapped. Everything she had was tied up with her father somehow, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave the men and women that she could still help.

Her mind-set changed and her foundations became less stable when Slade announced she was to be married to Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson, Wayne’s ward. The families had wanted to join together and fuse their hold over Gotham for years, but Bruce had no daughters and Slade refused to marry his eldest two boys off to another man (despite one being gay). He pushed them into loveless marriages with other high society women and ignored all that happened behind those closed doors. He didn’t comment on how Joseph had given him no grandchildren and how Grant was slowly drinking his way into an early grave. The last thing Rose wanted was to marry the pretentious and quick to anger man who valued his Range Rovers and Jaguars over women he had on his arm. She wanted someone who’d love her body and soul; not just provide a payday for her father.

Slade sat Rose down at dinner and announced she was to be married in six months. The next morning her custom Ducati was roaring through the streets of Gotham as she tried to breathe, tried to fight the tight band that was constricting around her heart. She didn’t notice that she’d ended up in the Narrows until she swerved to avoid a pothole and the engine died. She pushed it up onto the sidewalk and cursed the machine. She was kicking at its bodywork and mumbling about the cost of fixing it when a deep throaty laugh made her jump and cut off the rant.

Jason Todd was a man of simple tastes who enjoyed working with his hands. He’d lost his parents at a young age but his grandfather, Enrique, took him in. The man owned a garage in the East End of Gotham that was well respected for being affordable but of high standard. No one left feeling like they’d been done over and feeling like the car would break down a week later. He was so confident in his work that he offered a year guarantee on any work he did; only 5% of customers ended up needing to utilise it. When Jason was old enough to hold a wrench and not hurt himself with the heavy tool Enrique started to teach him about all things mechanical. By the time he was 8 and both his parents had died he was already spending more time with his grandfather than with them so naturally the man took his grandson in without a second thought. He soon realised that he didn’t miss his parents, he’d grieved for them but it was his grandfather that was his main family. As Jason got older his grandfather noticed he had such skill with machines that he started to teach the boy how to repair motorbikes and build custom engines, along with modifying cars.

Under the care of both Todd’s the garage expanded to include custom paint jobs, as Jason had an artistic flair unlike anyone else in their small family. They also helped turn heaps of junk into dream cars and built custom bikes. The Todd Auto Shop was stuff of legend in the East end of Gotham with the reputation slowly spreading out to the other middle class and below areas of the city. He’d spend his days designing body work, getting greasy and drinking too much tea; after all how is a mechanic to survive without his cuppa. When it came time for closing he’d end up on the roof of the two story building reading books, sketching, and enjoying all the sounds of his city. He’d been lucky as, despite his grandfather still being able to work on cars and be independent, the old guy had handed the whole business over to Jason. He could see that his grandson deserved it and had worked damn hard for it.

When the 6’5’’ Latino heard shouting and swearing just after he’d opened the shop he wandered over to see what all the noise was about. He leant against the entrance to the garage and couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the tiny, granted everyone was tiny to him, girl who was doing a fine job beating her bike up. A throaty chuckle escaped and drew her attention and even with the helmet on he could see how beautiful she was.

“Ya know kickin’ it ain’t gonna make it work again.” He said as she turned back to the bike. Rose was glad for her helmet when she’d turned to look at him. The way his arms were folded across his chest pulled his white t-shirt tightly across his biceps and as she looked him up and down she noticed that he was a solid wall of muscle from head to toe. His stained jeans clung to his thighs and she could see that the holes in them weren’t there for fashion and clearly from use in the garage. The sun that rarely shone in Gotham was catching his tanned skin and adding a glow to him that just highlighted his looks. She was intrigued by the white chunk of nearly straight hair at the front of his otherwise black mop of curls and his lopsided smile that showed a hint of white teeth. The thick Gotham accent was one she only heard during her night job or as she helped people into the refuges and found it calming in a way no other man’s voice usually could.

“Built the damn thing and now it’s decided to give out on me!” She said, finally turning back to him. “The one good thing in my life and it’s gone and broken on me.” With a huff she folded her own arms and gave the bike one last kick for good measure. She saw his smile widen just slightly as her white hair caught in the breeze. For just a moment they were both frozen to the spot, she rarely saw a genuine smile as kindness could cost you but with him she could tell it was real.

“Wheel it into the shop and I’ll give it a look for ya.” He held his hand out and gave her a firm shake. She ran her eyes over his hand and up his arm, surprised to see the pale white scars that littered his skin. She could tell that some weren’t from working in a garage as she had some to match, the round cigarette burns that took too long to heal and were a bastard to hide for one example. As his hand fell away she missed the warmth and kicked herself for doing so, she couldn’t afford to trust this man, any man, she’d had that destroyed too early on.

She wheeled it into one of the empty spots and stepped back. It was easy for anyone to see how much Jason loved his work and how naturally it came to him. He was as skilled with his tools as her father was at manipulating people, more so even. As she watched him work Rose found herself fascinated by the sheer joy he seemed to find from working on the bike. He’d wandered off occasionally to talk to other customers and fetch them both a drink, but as she watched him help a couple of his workers on other vehicles she saw that it wasn’t just her custom bike that pulled that joy and ease from him, but any form of combustion engine. He seemed to be a magician with anything that had wheels and a motor. His staff respected and liked him, but the biggest surprise of all was when a food truck pulled up outside the shop around lunch time.

Rose stood a way back and saw Jason hand over a chunk of cash as kids that clearly lived on the streets appeared as if from nowhere. The street vendor gave them all whatever they wanted and, unlike the views of the people she was usually around, she saw that they were all polite and never asked for more than they needed. They were selfless and clearly respected the man who owned the garage. As she wandered to the kettle, getting herself and the three mechanics another cup of tea, she saw the paintings and charcoal drawings that lined the walls. Some were of cars, designs that were so beautiful they’d not have looked out of place on the cover of some glossy car magazine; while others were the Gotham skyline or kids playing in the sun.

“Ey, they’re good ain’t they.” The red-headed mechanic said, making Rose jump. She’d seen him working during the morning but hadn’t caught his name. “They’re beautiful, where did you guys get them?” She asked, surprised by his laugh. “Jaybird draws them; man’s too damn good with his hands. I’m Roy by the way.” He accepted the cup of tea and shook her hand, noticing how her cheeks had tinged pink at his words. He was grease stained and his scruffy navy polo had a few rips in it, she’d noticed earlier in the day that both of the mechanics had polo’s that had the garage name and number embroidered on the back, while his dark shorts looked like they’d once been full length jeans.

“Really, does he ever sell them?” She watched Roy’s posture change and he seemed to get a little sad. “Nah, he don’t think they’re good enough despite the number of customers he has that request his custom paint jobs.” They chatted for a little while longer before Rose got the confidence to ask about the painting that had drawn her eye the most. “Oh that one,” Roy chuckled at the memory, “Jay set up the hose out back and let the neighbourhood kids come cool off and have a moment of normalcy in their lives. I’m pretty sure he’d adopt or foster them all if he could, heart o’ gold that man.” He led her back out to the main area and wandered off to continue working on the ’98 Ford Mustang GT. Jason came over and took his tea from her.

“Hope Roy weren’t talking your ear off, boy don’t know when to shut up sometimes.” Jason said with a fond roll of his eyes. She just nudged him and took a sip of her drink. “He was telling me about the art you’ve done in there. It’s all so beautiful, you’re clearly talented.”  Jason let out a huff and wandered back over to her bike. “He likes to talk them up, they’re nothing really.” He started tinkering with the Ducati again, eventually turning back to Rose. “So from what I’ve worked out you’re going to need a full rebuild and some of the internal parts need replacing. With the other work we’ve got in this week I should be able to get it all finished by sometime next week, at the earliest.” He watched her deflate a little and realised just how much her bike meant to her. “Here’s what I’ll do, if you promise not to kick her, you can borrow one of my bikes until yours is finished.” Her head shot up from where she’d been regarding her feet as they scuffed the floor.

“How much is all that going to cost me?” She asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “I’m guessing from what I can tell at the moment it’ll be $500-$1000 total, could be more depending on what parts you need and how available they are. I know some Ducati parts are only available via import so…” he trailed off, running his hands through his hair, the white patch catching some of the grease from his fingers. “I’ve got an idea, whenever you’re free while your bike is here if you come down and help out, you know; make tea, answer phones, book people in for us, tidy the waiting room. I might be able to cut some of the cost as you’ll be helping lessen our strain and so the man hours required for your bike will be less.” He watched her eyes light up at the idea, clearly comfortable with being around the grime of a garage, despite her designer jeans and expensive top.

“That sounds like an excellent deal; I should be able to scrape most of the cash together. I’m sure I could always continue to help out around here once it’s finished too, free of charge.” He agreed that he’d happily accept her help to reduce the cost even more and led her into his office to sort out the basic paperwork for her and the bike. He wanted to make sure she’d be included in his insurance so put her down as an unpaid apprentice, there were enough of them in Gotham that it was a reasonable position for her. He usually paid everyone who worked for him, but it wasn’t the first time he’d made such an arrangement with a customer. He’d even been known to accept their work as repayment for his; like the food truck that had come to him after it broke down. The owner was struggling for money so they made an arrangement for him to come by and feed the garage and any neighbourhood kids who showed until the bill was paid off. That had been a year ago and since then Jason had kept the truck coming by but now paid, the owner insisting that he have a discount as he was trying to do good in such a terrible place.

Rose showed up as the shop opened every day and usually stayed until she had to get ready for her job. The mechanics noticed that the place seemed to hold even more life and laughter than usual, with Jason becoming a little more confident. She’d even convinced him to use glass paint and do up the shop front to add a splash of colour to the street. Roy kept watching them and saw the glances they’d throw each other when they weren’t looking at, or near, each other. He had watched as Rose opened up more and seemed to come out of herself.

A week after meeting Jason was opening the shutters across the garage entrance early as he had a single mum that was due to drop her car off before she went to work at the hospital. The car only needed new tyres and re-alignment but he didn’t want to impact her work so Roy was taking her to and from work for the day. He smiled as he heard the familiar rumble of one of his bikes and looked up to see Rose coming down the road. She pulled into the garage, jumped off the bike and walked over to Jason.

“Morning Jay, we got a busy day today?” She asked him while wrapping her arms around him. He pulled her into a tight hug then stepped back. “You know it.” He said with a smile on his lips. Roy arrived shortly after, closely followed by a beat up Citroën C3. Rose went to make three cups of coffee, putting Roy’s in a travel mug.

That day she got to meet Kyle. He was smaller than Roy and Jason but just as talented in his specialist area, paintwork. He was an artist by trade and had fallen into painting cars when he’d been struggling to make enough money from freelance work. He was excellent with the spray gun and had a steady hand for the decal work. Rose had seen a couple of the pieces he’d done in the portfolio they kept in the main office and had been impressed but could see that his skill wasn’t in cars, the work was good quality but Jason did the more complicated line work.

As the evening approached Jason was sat in his office with Rose. She’d been helping him with the books and organising all the payslips for his workers while they talked. She suddenly heard her stomach rumble and paused in her work to giggle. Jason glanced up at her and she hid her blush behind the paper she was holding.

“Come on, let’s go up to mine and I’ll make us some dinner.” He said while pushing his chair back from the desk. As he stood Rose watched him stretch his arms above his head and twist to crack his back, she caught the sliver of skin that peaked out from where his top rose up. She could see the tanned skin and defined muscles then looked away. He walked to the door and held it open for her.

Dinner was simple, grilled chicken and steamed vegetables, but it was the first dinner Rose had had where no one commented on her appetite or her body. Usually at lunch Rose would get something from the street vendor and hide away from everyone while she ate, too ashamed of how hungry she actually was. Her dad had her on a strict diet, had done for years, in preparation for her wedding. They moved over to his sofa and sat chatting for the next couple of hours until she had to go to the club. After that first dinner it became a routine for Rose to join Jason upstairs, with them just enjoying each other’s company until she left for work.

By the end of the first month everyone in the garage enjoyed having the small woman around. They found she’d slotted into their little family easily, even going out shopping a couple of times with Roy’s girlfriend Koriand’r. Tim, another of their mechanics, was wary of her at first. He knew how Jason was seen around the Alley and had worried she’d been taking advantage of his kind nature. Then he’d seen the same careful look in her eyes that he often saw in Jason’s and saw how well she interacted with the other customers. Tim was a small, wiry guy with dark hair and blue eyes similar to his boss. There the similarities ended, Tim was all pale skin and undefined muscles. He preferred working on the motorbikes to the cars as he found their engineering more technical and interesting. He’d worked on Rose’s bike a few times, helping Jason to strip the engine down and had been the one to test drive it once they’d gotten it fixed. Jason held a special place in Tim’s life, as he’d helped him when he’d had nothing. Tim had been kicked out by his parents and Jason had found him one night trying to steal the tyres off a local car. Out of everything Jason could have done in that instant, Tim hadn’t expected the man to offer him a job and a roof over his head all under the condition he would stop stealing and turn his life around. It was similar to the offer he’d made his best friend Roy. He and Roy had known each other since childhood but where Jason had his grandfather to help, Roy turned to drugs and they fell out of contact for a few years while Roy spiralled down the gutter. When he’d come up for air, desperate to recover, it had been Jason who’d stepped up and helped him get clean. Roy had been clean for going on six years now with Tim having been in their life for two years too. Jason inspired nothing but loyalty from his crew.

A couple of months later and Rose was late turning up to the garage. Despite paying off her bike half in cash and half in labour, she’d been coming around every day they were open to help out. She’d slipped into their family and they’d all been worried. Roy spent the morning torn between trying to work and watching Jason, while Tim had himself buried in an engine stripping it down in record time. Jason was clumsy as his brain was muddled with worry, he kept dropping tools and cursing up a storm as he banged his hammer onto his thumb for a third time in under ten minutes. Roy and Tim had already tried to send him to his office but he’d ended up lost in his thoughts and they both knew how dangerous that could be for him. In the end they’d called in the big guns in Enrique; the old guy had driven from the Upper Gotham flat that Jason rented out for him. He led his grandson back upstairs and forced him to sit on the sofa while he made tea.

“So lad, you going to amuse an old man and tell me what’s got you all in a twist?” His accented voice floated back to Jason from the kitchen. He let out a huff, mentally cursing his friends for calling his grandfather. “Noth-,” Jason got cut off by Enrique. “Now don’t lie to an old man, if it was nothing Roy wouldn’t have called in a state. He’s worried about you but I can see that they’re both worried about something too so I’m assuming it’s the same reason.” He glared at his grandfather but relented when a cup of Assam tea was set on the coffee table. “It’s just this new friend we’ve all got. She’s been helping out around here most days, texts or calls when she can’t make it. Always lets us know, or checks in with one of us, you know? Today she’s not. She had said she’d be in to help open up as we were having a big parts delivery for the jobs we’ve got over the weekend.” He rubbed his hands over his face, forgetting about grease and dirt as he tried to focus his mess of thoughts. He told Enrique about the makeup covered bruises he’d noticed on her face and neck, along with the scars on her hands from cigarettes. He ended up talking to his grandfather about her for a couple of hours, catching him up on all the business had been up to over the past couple of months despite seeing him every Sunday to help the man get to his church in the East End.

There was a knock at the front door causing both men to jump slightly as they’d been so engrossed in their conversation. Jason stretched when he got up and answered the door. He looked down and saw Rose stood there, hands shaking with a new split lip and black eye. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

“I was so worried about you, are you okay?” he mumbled into her white hair. She pushed back and moved her hands to cup his face, her thumbs rubbing his cheek bones. “Sorry my dad wouldn’t let me have my phone and had me meet with Richard this morning. This,” she waved at her injuries, “is the result of trying to get away from Richard earlier. He didn’t like that I wasn’t doing exactly what he wanted.” Jason’s eyes flicked between Rose’s eyes and lips unconsciously, he had been so torn apart with worry that even Enrique hadn’t managed to calm him completely. Now he had Rose in his arms he felt it all melt away, everything was feeling right. Rose had been much the same, she’d hated being stuck with Richard and Slade all day, both refusing to listen to her or generally acknowledge her until she’d tried to leave. She looked up at Jason and, reaching up on her toes while pulling him down slightly, pressed her lips against his. She pulled back quickly, about to stumble out an apology when Jason scooped her into his arms and kissed her again. The second kiss was longer but just as gentle as he was mindful of her lip. They broke apart smiling at each other, Jason ended up dropping her to the floor when his grandfather cleared his throat behind the couple.

“I take it this is the lovely young lady who’s been causing you all to worry today,” Enrique held out his hand and introduced himself. Rose noticed that he had the same firm grip as his grandson but where Jason had blue eyes Enrique had a deep brown, she could see that they were similar everywhere else though. He had the same callouses on his hands and black hair that seemed to shine when it caught the light. “I’m afraid so Sir. Sorry you ended up being called down here, Jason has told me a lot about you.” She managed to stammer out, suddenly feeling very nervous at meeting the man who’d raised Jason. She knew he’d never meet her family, if she ended up leaving them then she’d never see her brothers and their kids ever again. Jason took her hand and led her back downstairs so Roy and Tim could worry over her too. Tim insisted on checking her lip and eye over, even cleaning off her makeup to double check the swelling, while Roy just talked non-stop. That night Rose called in sick to the club and promised to be in the next night. She just wanted to spend a few more hours with her friends, with Jason.

As the months progressed her and Jason ended up spend more and more time together. She quit her job at the club and Jason started paying her for the work she did around the garage. Tim started to teach her more about bikes, already impressed with the knowledge she had from tinkering on her own. Kyle liked to bring his dog by the garage on days he worked and Rose often ended up spending the day playing with the Rottweiler and any neighbourhood kids who’d come round. She and Koriand’r got closer, often going out for coffee and to complain about all the men in the shop. Roy took it upon himself to teach her self-defence when they had a few spare minutes. She’d become an integral part of their family and didn’t want to leave. The evenings often ended up with either dancing to an old motown beat, or climbing up onto the roof too watch the stars and drinking beer.

She pulled up outside the garage as usual and noticed that Jason was dressed in cleaner clothes and had a large backpack on along with his red helmet under his arm. She slipped off her bike and wandered over to him, pressing a kiss good morning to his lips. He smiled as she leant back slightly then pulled her in for another, deeper, kiss. She waved at Roy and another of the mechanics who occasionally worked with them and followed Jason over to his black bike that had red accents. The Yamaha was his baby. He’d stripped it down and built it from scratch, modifying most of it to make it almost as fast as a track bike with an exhaust that made a noise unlike any she’d heard.

“Figured we could go out for the day,” he said, smirking slightly. She just shrugged and climbed on behind him as they both pulled their helmets back on. He turned the key and the beast roared to life. She could feel the vibration from its raw power through her legs and the seat, scooting closer to Jason’s strong back and wrapping her arms around his waist. He waved at Roy and drove out the garage.

Rose watched as the East End fell away to the more built up and well off areas of the city, eventually having even that fade away as they found themselves speeding through the countryside. She watched as trees and fields passed by in a blur of greenery, feeling any bad thoughts her father had put in her head the night before fade away. They began to slow and she noticed a dirt path appearing ahead. Jason took the turn with an expertise she’d not witnessed from any other people she’d ridden pillion with and let out a squeak of excitement. They carried on down the path until it opened up into a clearing that was full of wildflowers in bloom and surrounded by lush green trees. She’d not seen anything like it outside of the estates she was forced to attend as a Wilson. It seemed like something straight off the pages of ‘Secret Garden’. She slid off the bike and watched as Jason pulled a blanket out from under the seat, along with a couple of books.

They spent the day reading, talking, and eating the delicious picnic he’d made them. She looked over at Jason at one point and just watched him read, the sun reflecting off the book and making him seem to glow more than usual. Out here, away from the grime of Gotham, he seemed even more handsome that she’d ever seen him. As she watched him she realised that she trusted him, trusted him more than she’d ever trusted anyone. Dropping her book she plucked his book from his hands and set it down carefully, she then leaned over and captured his lips in a breath-taking kiss. His hands slipped to her waist and easily moved her so she was straddling his hips. The kiss got messier as their hands began to travel over each other’s bodies, exploring skin they’d not gotten to touch before now. Rose was expecting Jason to push her further, but he never went for more than he thought she’d be comfortable with. They stayed wrapped in each other, trading kisses and letting the sun warm them. Time seemed to speed by and before they both knew it, it was time to pack up and drive back into the city.

The city seemed darker and more enclosed than when they’d left with Rose finding herself missing the open space and closeness to one another that they’d found. As they pulled back into the garage she jumped off the bike and went to make them both a cup of tea. Roy wandered in after her, setting his mug down next to the other two.

“Where’d you two go today? Jason seems happier and more relaxed than I’ve seen him in a long time.” Rose blushed at his words, realising that Jason had seemed better than when they’d first met. “To this little clearing outside Gotham, it was beautiful.” She didn’t want to say more, wanting to keep their day to herself. “Oh there, yeah he’s spoken about there before, never taken anyone else though.” She missed the look Roy gave her as she was too stuck on how Jason hadn’t shared that place with anyone else except her. She made the tea on autopilot, nearly spilling water over the counter until Roy stopped her hand as she was so lost in her thoughts. She knew what she had to do and she vowed to do it that night, there was only a month left until she was supposed to marry Richard and she knew she couldn’t go through with it. She’d found something she never expected to have in life and wanted to hold onto it with both hands, never letting it go. Jason was all she wanted, all she needed. That night she drove back to Slade’s with shaking hands and her body feeling like it was vibrating with how nervous she was.

As the shutter rose the next day Jason noticed Rose’s bike perched on the sidewalk, along with two large duffle bags, but couldn’t see the small Colombian. He stepped out onto the pavement and looked around, finding Rose slumped against the door to the communal office. He could see her supporting her arm and the bruises even through the visor of her helmet. Jason raced over to her and scooped her up into his arms. He knew the neighbourhood valued him and could trust them not to steal anything from the shop while it was empty, so raced up to his flat with her curled to his chest.

Jason settled her on the sofa and helped her pull her helmet off. He could see that the spark he’d gotten so used to seeing in her triumph blue eyes was dimmed. He helped her take off her jacket and saw the wounds that littered her arms. He’d grown up with his dad hitting his mum, hitting him, so he knew how to hide bruises and anything he inflicted. He had seen her hidden brusies and they’d talked about it all before, but he’d not been able to convince her to leave. He didn’t want to push her, knowing how authoritarian the other men in her life were. They were too like Willis, Jason couldn’t help but think.

Jason helped clean up her injuries and checked over her arm. It was bruised but not broken, which was a relief to them both. He helped to rub arnica into the bruises, dressed the few open wounds she had, and gave her pain meds then going to cook breakfast for them both. He’d been planning on just grabbing something from the bakery down the street once Kyle arrived as they had a busy day ahead, but now wanted something larger for Rose. As he wandered off to the kitchen he turned to look at her.

“What happened last night Doll? This is the worst that I’ve ever seen you.” He was in the middle of placing the bacon out on a sheet for the oven when he heard Rose join him in the kitchen. She slid onto one of the stools at the island with a gasp and took a sip of the coffee he placed before her. She ran the previous night’s event around in her head trying to think of what to say.

Rose had made it home well after 3am once she finally tore herself away from Jason’s warm embrace. She’d been returning home at the time she would have if she’d still worked at the club so Slade didn’t suspect anything, she knew he didn’t know about the garage and was grateful for that. She just wanted to pack her bags and slip out in the morning once Slade left for work. As she made her way through the living room she smiled thinking of the following day in the shop with Jason, Roy and Kyle. Then the cough from her dad’s armchair stopped her in her tracks. She could see the rage burning like a fire in his eyes and the white knuckled grip he had on the arms of the chair. He rose slowly, like a tiger preparing to pounce on its prey which wasn’t far off the mark. She couldn’t hear what he was saying as her heartbeat was thumping loudly in her ears and she felt like her chest was full of cotton wool. She’d seen him this angry a few times in her life, but he’d been better since sorting out the wedding with Richard.

Rose just stood there watching Slade’s mouth moving but hearing nothing, not until his fist connected with her face and she fell to the floor. Pain shot through her wrist as she’d thrown it out to save her fall. She could hear his shouts of rage as he kicked her a couple of times. He pulled her up by her throat and held her there, her body dangling from his hold. He threw her to the floor once again and wailed down on her with his fists. She caught snippets of what he was shouting ‘garage’, ‘Grayson’ and ‘money’ came up often. Knowing what the beating was for didn’t make it any easier to get through. She let her mind wander to her happy place, surprised at how it had changed. Her happy place used to be memories of her mother’s arms, of laughing with her during long summer afternoons. Now she found she was in the garage, the smell of exhaust and grease filling her senses, while the kids talked loudly over their lunch. She could hear Jason’s laugh as Roy was swearing loudly, could see his smile when she arrived each morning and remembered how his lips felt on hers. By the time her dad got worn out with her lack of response she’d completely transported herself to the East End.

Once she could stand without feeling waves of nausea rolling through her, Rose staggered up to her room and shoved the few belongings she wanted to keep into two duffle bags and went out to her bike. She strapped them securely onto the bike and climbed on. She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten to Jason’s or managed to park the bike, just that her mind had been focused on getting her safe, getting her away from Slade. She stumbled over to the door but stumbled on the uneven paving and fell against it. She felt relief run through her when the shutters went up. Now she was sat at his kitchen island all patched up and realised she finally felt safe.

“I made the decision earlier yesterday that I was leaving, being here with you and everyone just showed me what love is,” her hands were trembling as she held the cup. She didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath from Jason. She looked up at him through her lashes and saw the slight blush over his cheeks. “My d-d-dad arranged this marriage for me, as you know, and I’ve never wanted it; even more so now I’ve got you.” She took a deep breath, “I never wanted it especially when he told me it was to Wayne’s oldest. Do you know how many women I’ve helped get away from those two? None of them feel safe enough to press charges because of the power they have over this city. They don’t abuse the kid, Damian I think his name is, but the women were always a broken mess when I’d get them safe. Somehow he found out I’d quit the club but couldn’t work out where I was working now so he just flipped. Like it’s not the first time he’s done this, been doing it all my life, but this is the first time I’ve had somewhere to run to and a reason to fight.” She hadn’t expected the words to come when she’d started but by the time she’d finished Jason was placing a cooked breakfast down in front of her.

“As I’ve always said, you’re welcome here. I’m happy you’re out of there now.” He gently ran his hand down her cheek. “I love you Doll.” He blushed as he froze, his words catching up with him. She turned to him and smiled at him. “I love you too Jay. You’re the king of my heart; you know that by now surely.” She gave him a small smirk and leant into him, kissing him fiercely despite the bruises to her jaw.


End file.
